Orijen (Cat & Kitten)

Orijen is top of the line food. If you want to feel as if you are flat out pampering your cat, buy this food. They only have two varities for cats: Cat & Kitten and 6 Fish. Since the latter is hard to find, I’m including the ingredients for the former here.

First, it’s a grain-less food with a relatively short ingredient list. There aren’t many foreign sounding ingredients in this food, and that makes sense because this food absolutely emphasizes just how fresh their ingredients are.

How fresh? Well, they raise their chickens themselves anti-biotic free. They employ fishermen to catch their fish for them and deliver them fresh to their factory. Hey, they’re Canadians, apparently ethics in food making are still alive up there.

If you take a look at the ingredients, you really can’t do any better. The first 3 ingredients are meats, along with the 5th, 9th, 10th and 12th. It’s absolutely LOADED with proteins, and high quality ones at that. They even throw in whole eggs for good measure. Not “dried eggs” or “egg product”, but whole eggs.

There are two fish oils for added heart health, and sunflower oil for a good coat. There are carrots, spinach, peas, tomatoes and apples for the fruit and veggie quota.

Orijen prides itself on having a balanced ratio of 75/25/0. That is, that 75% of weight will be animal products, 25% fruits and veggies and 0% grain. The ingredient list speaks for itself as to how they follow that ratio.

It’s expensive, but it’s ever so worth it. Cats who eat this will eat less, and they will be healthy.

Where to buy?

* PriceGrabber search all the main retailers for the best prices on cat and dog food.

Is this ok to feed to Senior cats? I have three seniors, one overweight adult cat and two kittens. Is is difficult trying to keep the Senior, Adult (reduced calorie formula) and the kitten food separated so that everyone is eating what they should be. It would be easier just to feed one food. By the way, the seniors have no health issues.
Thanks

Hi Susanne, there would be no harm in trying as it’s a quality food! It’s high protein so great for the kittens, you’re fine there. Is the senior cat an indoor or outdoor cat? With the higher protein food he/she may become more active and actually lose weight, but only time will tell. Generally with a decent food like Orijen you find the cat will eat less as they’re getting more nutrition from less quantity. It’s worth a try…

I have a dog that eats the cats food, and the cat eats the dog food, so I know how hard it is to separate foodstuffs!

We have fed this to our cats One Spot and Two Spot (now three years old) since they were kittens. They love the taste, have healthy shiny coats, and have been getting clean bills of health at their annual vet visits. We do also feed them Wellness brand wet food, so they have a balance of wet and dry (our personal preference). But I know of no better dry food than Orijen.

Orijen is produced by Champion Petfoods and the same company has also a brand named Acana . Any reviews about that one? I have been feeding my cats both Orijen and Acana. I think they like Acana more.
BTW lately I have seen another product from Farmina, N&D Grain Free Feline. I haven’t tried this one yet. Do you know if it is any good?

Farmina is a European brand and relatively new to the US market. The ingredients seem quite good, but I don’t have enough experience with the brand to give an accurate review at this stage. It could be worth a try?

We feed our 3 cats a mixture of Orijen and Wellness wet food and have had great vet visits. One cat previously suffered with urinary stones and he no longer has that issue. Additionally, we have a 20 year old cat who has been in renal failure for 1.5 years and eats Orijen as well. Initially we fed our renal failure kitty only vet recommended reduced protein kidney food, but after his health started to decline rapidly on it we allowed him to eat Orijen. Our feeling on it is that he’s an old cat and should be allowed to choose what he wants to eat in his final few years. We understood the risks of feeding a higher protein diet to him, but it has been worth it! He is healthier with his kidney lab values remaining constant and he is chipper and still raises hell around the house. His initial prognosis was for 6 months! I know his health is not all due to Orijen, but I do believe that good nutrition in either human or animal can be partly observed in positive health outcomes.

Hi Carrie, that’s great to hear and brings a bit of a tear to my eye. My first cat Rodney was diagnosed with renal failure at 14 and was given 6 months, but he lived to the ripe old age of 21! In his last couple of years our other cat had four kittens, and he’d play with them like he was one of them! We didn’t feed him Orijen, but we fed him good foods.

My 8 year old cat is in early stage of kidney disease. Eats only dry food. Vet recommended Hills Science Gourmet but your ratings seem to discourage Hills. What product is recommended? Is Blue Wilderness Mature are good one?

I would still recommend any decent food. The benefits will outweigh feeding any low quality food. Ensure your cat has lots of water, and if they refuse to eat wet food then try moistening their dry kibble.

We have fed our cats Orijen Cat and Kitten Food since we got them as kittens (along with Wellness canned food for balance). We have always loved the high quality. My question is about the recent formula change: Are the ingredients still as good as they once were? Also, I notice they use Walleye as an ingredient whuch is a fish that humans can safely eat once a week. Is it safe for cats to eat it more often (i.e., in their daily food)?

I’m very impressed with the new Orijen formulas, especially for cats. It’s still undoubtedly a very high quality food. I see no problems with the amount of Walleye in the food, and it’s a fantastic source of digestible protein and nutrients.

I’ve just adopted a kitten and I’ve been feeding her Orijen Cat & Kitten dry food since the first day. She love it so much.

Thank god Orijen is easy to find at our local store.

But I do have a question though… since this is my first time taking care of a cat. Is it okay to just feed her Orijen dry food. Or should I feed them canned/wet food for balance as well?

I find that majority of the replies here prefers to mix Orijen dry food and Wellness canned food. I’d already checked with most of the local store here. And they do sell the Wellness Grain Free canned food , both for kitten and cat.

If its better to feed cats both dry and canned food, what is the most recommended way to do so?

I really enjoyed reading these posts, especially how so many of you turned your cats’ lives around. Very special. I can tell from your posts that you are a caring group.

Wet food for cats is a must. They are desert animals and therefore require additional moisture that they are not getting in dry food. Please give them wet food daily, even if it’s just a bit. Many cats enjoy licking coconut oil off a finger too (I usually give them a dab each day).

I recently started feeding my two overweight senior cats Orijen Six Fish. After trying 10 different dry foods, they like it! Then, I was at a pet food store today and was told that Orijen changed the recipe to include twice as much fiber and less meat and is making some pets sick because of the increase in fiber. The woman at the store said she compared the ingredients when the new label was introduced. Is Orijen still a great food that you would recommend?

On the contrary, the new Orijen formulas have less fiber. The old formulas used russet potatoes as a fairly significant ingredient, but these have been removed in favor of greater meat content. It’s a high protein food, which generally makes it more suitable to younger, active cats. With your senior cats you should find they eat less (because they need less), and would hopefully lose weight. I certainly recommend all foods made by Champion Petfoods, both Orijen and Acana. I seldom hear bad things about the company.

I have been feeding my cat wellness core and then wellness complete health. Recently he got an ear infection and started losing interest in eating. I took him to the vet and he will be ok soon. I just ordered some orijen cat food. My first question is whether so much protein will hurt his kidneys and my second question is whether orijen will help his immune system ward off future ear infections and any other health issues.

Hi Bonnie, how old is your cat and how active? Orijen has a high amount of protein but it’s also a very good food. That means your cat should get more nutrients per pound than other foods, and may also eat less of it. If you have an older or less active cat then there are other decent foods available with a lower protein percentage if you have that concern. Yes, a decent food will boost a cats immune system in the same way a healthy diet would boost ours, so a food such as Orijen would certainly help prevent future health issues and infections.

Question- I have been feeding my healthy indoor 7yr old cat Orijen fish formula for several years- she is a very finicky eater and this is what she likes- she came down w yeast and bacterial ear infection- she has been treated and cultured and shows noore infection, but still has ear distress itching sensitivity. My vet wants to change her food- now says it could be allergies-I don’t want to put her on the crap food they sell-considering changing from Orijen fish to Orijen Chicken-am I crazy to think that would help to change proteins? Or should I look at one of the others on your list? Thank you

Hi Nancy, that’s a difficult question to answer. How long since she had the ear infection, and how much is she scratching it? They can take time to clear up, especially if she’s frantically scratching it. It may be worth switching to another brand of food for a while to see how it goes, then reverting back to Orijen later?

Great work on the website, so informative! Thank you. I’ve looked for Orijen however it is not currently available in Israel. Pet store recommended Natures Variety Instinct as it is similar according to them. Have you had any experience with it? Would love your feedback. Thank you!

I tried Orijen (twice) with my 11 year old diabetic cat, and he ended up scratching a lot and having coat issues. I was told that many cats have no longer needed their daily insulin if they convert to Orijen. I did not stop the insulin (1 1/2 units, twice a day), however I was concerned about my cat being allergic. So, I went back to the vet-recommended Royal Canin Diabetic which he has always tolerated. I am wondering if you can recommend a low protein/ low phosphorous cat food for my 18 year old feline. He has early stage kidney failure. I currently use the Royal Canin Senior (which you did not like) and Fromme wet food. He seems healthy, but isn’t crazy about the RC. I add about 4 kernals of a higher protein food to get him to eat it! Thanks for any info you can offer.

Hi Kirsti, we’re not a veterinary practice so have to urge you to take the advice of your vet. With your cat being diabetic I assume you’re looking to feed a high protein/low carb food, perhaps wet rather than dry? Whether a cat with kidney failure requires a low protein/low phosphorous diet is a controversial subject and can be regarded as myth. In our opinion you’re better off finding a food with a protein source that is highly digestible, such as a lean chicken or turkey meat. Cats are carnivores and by nature seek a high protein diet. However, if you do wish to feed a lower protein diet then most good brands (Fromm, Candidae, Artemis, AvoDerm, Wellness, etc) offer a lower protein food. Look for anything under 22% approximately.

Hi, I have 4 cats and 2 of them do well with pretty much any foods i’ve tried but the other 2 of my cats have EXTREMELY sensitive stomachs. I have been feeding Hills Gastrointestinal Health to them and the vomiting stopped in the 2 with sensitive stomachs and the other two that do well with all foods like it too but i’d like to switch to a higher quality food and Orijen sounds great. I was wondering if the Orijen Cat & Kitten would be good for cats with VERY sensitive stomachs and if it can also be fed to cats over a year old as well as kittens. 3 of my cats are over a year old and my other one is 5 months old. and i prefer to feed them all the same food as they steal eachothers food anyways haha. Thanks for any advice!

Kudos for what your doing for us cat parents! Meeko is a 1 1/2 yr adopted amputee kitty. Currently on Simply Nourish Adult Cat Food after switching from Innova (due to recalls). He has had loose stools since starting and so time to switch again. Would like to try Origen but am concerned with salt ingredient. He’s an active, healthy indoor cat and want to give him the best food possible for strong bones and immune system. Your response is greatly appreciated and valued!

My cat is just about a year and half old. Her vet suggested switching her to a grain-free food, so I did some research (including your review) and switched her to Orijen. She loves it. I leave the bowl with her dry food out all the time, and supplement with wet food in the morning (Wellness). She gets finicky with her wet food, but always eats the dry food. I even keep a small container by a chair and feed her one or two pieces as a treat rather than buying packaged kitty treats. She seems perfectly content with the arrangement.
Thanks for the time and effort that you put into your reviews.

i have been feeding my cat orijen chicken formula since he was a kitten, recently he has had bloody stool and his poop has always been extremely smelly. He was on a round of antibiotics and (my vet said to change his food but I know he was just promoting the food at his clinic which is Science Diet and i am not feeding my cat that junk) but he has not stopped his bloody stool. I am wondering if it is his food. And do you have any recommendations on any other high quality food that might be better for him? I loves orijen and doesn’t eat much wet food.

My 22-month-old cat loves orijen 6 fish. Thank you for your information about less portion cats will have for high protein food. For a while, I wonder that my cat is sick, because she doesn’t have as much as she did before. She’s a ragdoll and only weighs about 10 lb. I expected her to weigh heavier as an adult cat.

My cat is SO picky. I have been looking for a dry fish cat food since Before Grains stopped making #3, tuna. So, out of sheer desperation I tried the Orijen Six Fish. This is the first dry food my cat has eaten at the inspection sniff stage. Here’s hoping this stays around for a long time!!

I just found out my 10 year old cat has diabetes. I had to start him on insulin 1 unit twice a day. The wet food that I got from the vet made his sugar levels worse. Someone recommended orijen to me and I was wondering if you’ve seen success with using it on diabetic cats before. I was told no dry food because of protein levels not being high enough, but this seems to have the right amount.

Hi!
I have previously bought Orijen for my dogs, and am now looking at switching my cats over to the brand. I have a 1.5 year old Siamese who is currently on a dental food. He is very young to be having teeth issues! Would a food like Orijen help him with this?
I also have two Munchkin females who are 5 months old. They are currently eating Iams kitten (as that’s what their breeder was feeding them) but I feel it’s time they were put on a higher quality food like the rest of my fur-babies.
My next question involves my Munchkins in that I opened a Registered Cattery and will be welcoming kittens early spring. I have read many arguments over how wet food is the only food a cat should be fed, but to be honest, I have always fed my cats dry food and have never had an issues. That being said, I also know that when trying to wean kittens, they must be fed wet food. In your opinion, is soaking Orijen dry food in water just as good as canned food? I live in a small town and have very limited selection on cat foods. I feel it would also be easier to transition them to dry food if it’s the same food they have been eating.
Thanks in advance!

Hi Kristen, in many ways wet food can be better – higher protein, lower carbs, fresher/more natural meat, oils, and nutrients. It’s also less convenient and can cost a lot more. Dry food is better for teeth and gums. Personally I’ve always fed dry food, but that’s dry food to a high standard (I only buy the best!). I feed my pets wet occassionally, and also meat as and when I cook it for myself.

Orijen is a great food. You may need to transition your Munchkins gradularly as Orijen is richer than Iams – they won’t be used to it. Soaking it in water is great if they eat it, but the important thing is you ensure your cats have access to fresh water, in their food, in a bowl, or whatever works.

I have a cat 15 year old that is diabetic. I was feeding him Chicken Soup Adult Light but became worried after the recent recall. I am wondering if you think the Orijen food would be a good choice for him?

I have 3 cats, age between 1-2 years. I feed them Fancy Feast canned food morning and evening, and dry food all day long. I have started feeding them Orijen 6fish dry food since last week. They like it, but I noticed that two of them have been less interested with the wet food now. They usually finish the wet food immediately. But now they only eat 1/3 of the portion.
Is this normal and might be caused by Orijen?

Cats will eat to satisfy their nutritional and energy requirements. If they’re getting what they need from the Orijen then that’s likely the reason they’re not finishing the wet food, which isn’t a bad thing.

This cat food is pretty terrific stuff for a diabetic cat. My cats all love this & it doesn’t spike the blood sugar of the diabetic one. The ingredient list is terrific. Yes, it’s pricey, but not unreasonably priced compared with other high quality foods. I believe it’s cheaper than Wysong Epigen 90, which had been terrific, but nearly killed one of my cats in its latest reformulation (life threatening diarrhea). And frankly, I think it’s a better food than even the epigen 90 before reformulation (truer to a pure carnivore food).

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes 8 months after I started feeding Orijens to her. She was just diagnosed on Saturday. I removed the Orijens dry food and her numbers went down almost 100 points in 4 days. This is a horrible food for diabetic cats. It’s very high in carbs from all the plant-based ingredients. The bag doesn’t state how many carbs are in it, but it comes out to between 17 to 20 percent carbohydrate. Cats are supposed to have no more than 10 percent carbs.

Hi. Wondering if you’ve ever heard of either Acana or Orijen causing soft stools in young cats? My 10 month old has tested negative for worms/parasites so thinking the food is the culprit (I’ve tried both). I’d like to give a high-quality, comparable food that isn’t so bothersome for him in the litter box. Otherwise healthy, happy cat so any advice you can give would be appreciated.

My 2 year old cat had been eating mainstream foods like purina naturals, iams, and more recently science diet dental formula because our vet recommended it because my cat had been having very bad breath and buildup on her teeth for her young age. She is *apparently* half ragdoll half persian, and basically rescued from a very irresponsible old lady who called herself a breeder but is clearly mentally ill and raising the cats in deplorable conditions, so the vet said our cat’s mouth bacteria may have originated from the breeder and it is extremely important to keep an eye on it as it could develop into gingivitis. She seemed to enjoy the science diet dental formula, and we had been feeding her it for a few months but did not really notice a difference in her bad breath and she almost seemed addicted to it as she was gorging herself on it. We decided to look for a higher quality of food, and purchased the Orijen Cat and Kitten and the Acana Regionals which come from the same parent company and she has been very happy with both. We also switched her treats to Orijen and she loves the Tundra Cat and Red Meat flavours which have very simple ingrediants. Her breath has much improved, but the biggest change has been in her energy levels which we did not expect to see such a huge improvement in. Within a couple of months of having been switched over to Orijen/Acana it is actually unbelievable how much more she wants to play and run around. We will be continuing to feed her the Orijen/Acana brands and recommend anyone to try them….we purchased them before reading any of the online reviews, and it makes sense to me why this food seems to be so highly rated on many different sites. It also makes me happy that it is a Canadian brand, we are Canadian and the ingredients are all sourced from Canada and regional farmers.

I just wanted to attest the good reviews here for Orijen and Acana. Having educated myself over past little while on reading pet food labels, reading and understand cat food ingredients, what they need etc. I have realized that Orijen and Acana are great foods.

What I specifically want to praise is that unlike other popular brands that I have contacted recently ans asked repeatedly about details on their ingredients and stuff, Orijen has always responded to all my inquiries in a way that I was satisfied with their responses. While other companies have tried to hide information or refused to provide it.

So, I appreciate the transparency and sharing of information and as a customer I appreciated it. Others can learn from them I guess.

I will hold on to Orijen and Acana until I see something otherwise, I am convinced now that they are both high quality and probably the best dry cat food out in entire North American Pet Food Industry!

I have 3 cats..one senior, one young, one middle aged. Senior tends to lean towards wet food, middle aged likes dry…the youngest eats anything and everything he can get at and is overweight (15lbs and just over a 1.5 years old). I have always let the dry food stay out 24-7…how do I monitor and control the weight of the young one if the other two are tiny and eat minimal through the day?

Hi Carol, the concern with spinach is it contains small traces of calcium oxalate that are linked with crystals in the urinary tract. I see no concerns with Orijen as it contains a small quantity of spinach. Other ingredients such as kale, leafy greens, soy, and meats also contain calcium oxalates.

This is a fantastic site – wondering if you have an opinion on the following. We are new cat owners and want to help our rescue cat as much as possible.

We adopted Jones several months ago from a woman who had to re-home her cat due to severe respiratory issues with her child. This woman had Jones since she was a kitten (Jones is seven now) and has fed her Orijen Cat and Kitten since she’s been a kitten so we are continuing with this food – no question. She always left food out so we are doing the same. Jones loves her Orijen but is incredibly fussy otherwise.

We know that just dry food isn’t great for cats (she always has fresh water available throughout the house). We have tried several wet foot brands (one teaspoon to start) – Jones either snubs it or eats it right away then throws it up (she never throws up the Orijen). Also, Jones gets Whiskas cat milk as a treat (1 oz. every couple days as her previous owner did). I know it’s not good but she LOVES it and will meow incessantly if she hasn’t had it in a while until she gets it. We’ve tried weaning her off it and she wants no part of it – she loves her milk and purrs like crazy when she gets it.

So my question … should we keep trying to introduce wet food and any suggestions for what seems like a very sensitive stomach / fussy cat. Or … with the Orijen, lots of water, and cat milk every couple days – should we stop trying to force the issue with her (I’ve also thought of putting some water in a little bit of dry kibble each day – haven’t done it yet though).

Hi Des, I think the main thing is she has a regular water intake. With the wet food it might be she’s just confused by it (i.e. she’s so used to eating dry food). My cat’s the same, he’ll turn his nose up for a week and then start eating a food. I see no harm in the milk either, especially when you’re providing a solid base diet with the Orijen! There’s no harm in giving your cat a treat!

This cat milk iby Whiskas is full of sugar, hydrogenated oil and controversial carrageenan (which can cause intestinal discomfort). Some say it’s possibly carcinogenic. These ingredients are extremely unhealthy. I don’t see how you can say it ok. to feed a cat this every couple of days and not expect some dire health issues down the line. Please rethink your answer.

A year ago my cat, who is now 12, tested normal with a glucose level of 78. Shortly after, I switched to Orijen dry food. She is now diabetic, testing at a blood glucose level of 378. Just because the food is grain free doesn’t mean it’s carb free. Orijen is between 17 and 20% carbs. Cats only need between 5 to 10 grams a day. It’s all the plant-based ingredients that make this so-called healthy food so loaded in carbs. This is NOT a good food. No dry food is good for a cat. NONE. Wish I knew that a year ago.

Hi, this is fantastic information as I have just started my cat with Orijen.
The vet recommended he has an anti allergin diet as he occasionally gets ulcers on his top lip. The cause can’t be pin pointed.

I was advised to try z d by hills (I think) but my cat hates it.

The pet store recommended Orijen which he loves! Is Orijen considered to help allergin’s?

I am assuming it does as its packed with all the best stuff but just wanted your opinion.

I’m having a problem. I feed my cat Acana but it’s very high in calories my vet said and my cat has put on an extra 3.5 lbs. . I don’t know what to do? Feeding her any less will starve her. She was getting a 1/4 cup in morning and at dinner for a total of 250 calories and vet said she should only get 183 calories so it’s way over…. I really believed in the quality of the food so I don’t know where to turn. I can’t let her get obese though… Any advice? Also is there a quality wet cat food out there that is also made in Canada like Acana?